Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Neymar and Lionel Messi Rumours

Manchester City reportedly held "three conversations" with the representatives of Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Neymar over the summer, with manager Pep Guardiola said to be chasing both signatures.

The Sun's Sunni Upal reported on the close contact between City and their targets, although Guardiola's return to his former club proved unsuccessful after being informed neither player was "attainable for now."

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The Blaugrana would be remiss to lose either one of their attacking stars, never mind both of them, although any chances of either Messi or Neymar leaving in the foreseeable future appear slim.

Sport network Fanatix spared no expense in outlining the magnitude of any potential Messi departure, with the Argentinian having had a monumental impact on the Catalan club's success over the past 12 years:

Neymar is a much fresher addition to Barcelona's first-team ranks, but he's slotted seamlessly into the club's XI since arriving from Santos in 2013, helping form the most devastating attack in world football.

Both Messi and Neymar highlighted their own importance to the team after pushing manager Luis Enrique's side to a 5-1 triumph over Leganes on Saturday, per Sky Sports La Liga:

According to Upal, City may revisit the prospect of landing Messi next summer, if he's still yet to sign a contract extension with the club, meaning he'd be entering the last year of his current deal.

It's hardly a shock Barcelona are seemingly willing to fight tooth and nail to preserve their current striking partnership, and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker was impressed by their display against Leganes:

There aren't many clubs in the world that could even realistically hope to rival for the duo's signatures, but Qatari-funded City are among the elite who might be able to tempt Barca into a sale.

Neymar's easy transition alongside Messi and Luis Suarez to form the "MSN" front three has been critical to Barca's title prospects in the last two years, and Bleacher Report's Rik Sharma was in awe of the Brazilian on Saturday:

Neither attacking maestro would make for an easy purchase, but City's hopes of landing Neymar aren't aided by the fact he only recently put pen to paper on a new five-year deal at the Camp Nou.

Guardiola never had the pleasure of managing Neymar while at the Barcelona helm, but reports suggest both he and Messi remain on the City chief's agenda, with plenty of funds to back his interest next summer.